Cons: lacks much of a soundstage, can get somewhat uncomfortable after a few hours

I've owned these cans over 2 years and I've watched them mature like fine wine sitting in the barrel. When I first bought them I was surprisingly disappointed. I was expecting a lot more but found their sound to be tinny and weak. After many many many hours of burn in these cans really warmed up and showed coloration in a nice way. I like to compare these headphones to my DT880 600ohm cans for reference of sound. These cans are much more LIVELY while my DT800's are more ANALYTICAL and neutral. I would say the HD280s are much more suited to electronic/hip hop/ dubstep and any sort of bass heavy music that doesn't require a soundstage. I found my DT880s much better for rock/jazz/some...

Pros: Great sound, Clear Highs, not too overpowering bass, mids are clear and not too colourful

Cons: little to no soundstage, doesn't preform well on lower volumes, leaks sound (not too much though), Highs just disappear or is blurred sometimes

My comprehensive review of the Sennheiser HD 280 Headphones
BURN-IN TIME - Took about 3-4 days to burn in so maybe 12 or so hours for me
Upon receiving these as a gift for my birthday (so I paid nothing for it). But as of December 2014 it's usually around $100 US - $125 US as far as I know.
So I plugged this into an iPad Mini Current Generation (Before the newest iPad Mini with the touch home button) and listened to everything you could think of.
-Ambient
-80's new wave
-Ambient Synth
-Electronic
-Hip Hop
-Orchestras
-Jazz
-Classical
-Dance
-Headphone Quality Tests
-Movies
-Voice recordings
etc. ...

The first of these that I have are going on 5 years old, I am also listening to them while I type this review. I am basing my opinion on this pair. I received a NIB pair about a month ago but have not listened to them yet. I really like everything about this headphone. I am a big fan of the Sennheiser sound signature though; they always seem to suite my musical tastes. I have a preference for closed cans, and this is a solid one for an entry level of better sound. My one complaint is that I have a large head and have to extend the headband all the way out on both sides. This is where my complaint comes into play, with them in full extension and on my head, the band sticks out...

Negative Reviews

I always see people recommending the HD280 like it's some amazing price vs. quality gem in the headphone world or something, and when I borrowed a pair to compare to my HD555 a few years ago, I was surprised by how bad the HD280 sounded and how uncomfortable it was. The bass was anemic, the soundstage was congested, and the way it clamped on the head was uncomfortable. For sub-$100 headphones, you'll be much better off with the Equation RP-21. But if you could spend a little bit more, you'll get into a far better range of headphones like the Audio-Technica ATH-M50 (for sealed cans) or Sennheiser HD555 (for open cans)--headphones that absolutely destroy the HD280 in every way possible.

The Sennheiser HD280 that I'm reviewing do not belong to me, they're presumably a couple years old (I didn't ask) and in good condition aside from a couple scratches on the earcups. I was curious to how they sounded, especially in comparison to the HA-RX900/700, ATH-M35 and M-Audio Q40 (all of which I don't presently have but definitely remember quite well). I do have Sony XB90EX, Fostex T50rp II (modded to be flat aside from a spike at around 8 - 10 khz) and MDR MA900. All very different headphones, but yeah on to the review.
Build Quality: 4/5
These are solid feeling headphones, the cable seems nice but I suspect it's on the cheaper side due to the fact these insensitive...

I like these headphones when I know that I'm going somewhere where I wouldn't dare to take one of my more delicate headphones (e.g. Sr225is's). The primary reason being that they have never once fallen off of my head. Honestly, that's nearly all they've got going for them (aside from the OK base that comes from the excellent seal between your head and the cans when used with an OK amplifier).
The sound is otherwise lacking in low end, and the mid end is dry and somewhat overwhelming.
Other than the OK sound-stage an the bass (it plays hide-and-seek), there's not much worth mentioning.
Listened to:
- Pink Floyd - Money : The guitar line at the...

I've owned two pairs of these over the last 10 years (one channel on the first pair died) and I've used them without an amp or any knowledge of audio electronics. Essentially, they were the first pair of decent headphones I've experienced prior to entering the world of HiFi only recently.
The ones I've owned were 64 Ohm but performed admirably at >80% volume on most audio sources. They improve noticeably with a headphone amp.
Sound
This is a bass heavy headphone and is well suited to movies, action games, and bass-heavy music genres. Bass-heavy electronic and hip-hop tracks are like personal earthquakes with these headphones. Having said that, bass can get...

I'm a pro-sumer, not an audiophile, so I will not discuss the sound, really. These were purchased new, are still stock, not modded.
I have owned these cans for 2 years, so burn-in is complete. Full head of hair, no glasses, no TMJ.
Pros:
completely circumaural, even for my large-ish ears leads to great noise isolation. I keep the volume below 20% and can hear the music fine and no cube-mate phone calls.
Nice padding on cups and headband. I wear these for hours at a time at work and neither the clamping force nor the weight of these bother me.
Both cups rotate and swivel. You can wear them comfortably around your neck or off the ear of choice easily. They also...

Cons: Can get uncomfortable after a while, not a very exciting sound, lack of decent soundstage.

First, let me start by saying I am a total noob. These were my first and still are my only pair of real headphones. Now that I look back, I probably should have bought the ATH-M50S considering what people have said about it. These cost somewhere around $120 when I bought them. I have had them for a few months and just got an amp (Pyle PHA-40) today (great amp, by the way). An amp is HIGHLY recommended. It got rid of any harsh, screechy highs typical of my computer's headphone jack. The bass also sounded pretty undefined and in general, missing. The amp fixed that right up. Now bass is well balanced and has incredible extension like I have never heard before! These also respond well to...

These are...ok. I expected great things from these, and if they were my first pair of real headphones, I guess I would like them, but compared to many others, including the similar Amperior, they're simply missing something. The bass is there, the treble goes nearly high enough, they're clear and the instruments separate, yet they just don't excite. They really are professional monitor headphones, and nothing more and nothing less.
I kept these things for their high isolation so I can watch movies at night, but really I should trade them for some Sony 7506, which is what I would recommend over these.
Objectively, as a studio headphone, these are a good product....

I originally got these headphones because I was looking for headphones to use both for late night listening (in an apartment complex with thin walls) and travel. So for me isolation was one of the first things I was looking for, and these headphones deliver that in spades. Unfortunately, it comes at the cost of a fairly tight fit around the head. Not enough to really be uncomfortable (I've used these headphones for hours on end), but enough to be noticeable. The headphones are fairly bulky in size, but fold for travel, and I've found them to be much more durable than I was expecting given the reviews -- after several years and numerous airplane trips, the...

These were my first pair of cans and since no one else has yet to submit a review for them I thought I would go ahead and write one.
First Glance:
These were made primarily for studio use and the have a very classic look to them. Nothing fancy. They come with a coiled cable that terminates with a 3.5mm jack with threads for the supplied ¼in adapter.
Build Quality:
The headband is made of kind of plastic along with the rest of the headphones. They have a leather-like pad on the headband and around the ear cups. There have been reports of the plastic headband cracking but my pair has seen no such damage. Overall the build quality is acceptable for a pair of headphones in this...

Well to start off lets list the headphones I am comparing these to...
Over Ear
Dr. Dre Beats (Studio)
Sennheiser EH 150's
Sennheiser HD 202's
On Ear
Dr. Dre Beats (Solo)
In Ear
Altec Lansing Back-Beats Pro
Ink'd Skullcandys
Monster Turbine In Ear
Dr Dre Beats
Monster Turbine Pro Copper
The design of these headphones is a clever design, the coiled cord was a huge advance from constantly rolling over my EH150 wire with my computer chair. Another weak point I find in just about every pair of headphones is the connections at the end of the cable. On these the end user is able to remove and put in a new cable which is a...

These have a very thin and dull sound. There is a noticeable lack of low mids / bass, which leave the headphones sounding very cold. There is no sound stage to speak of. I just can't find any redeeming qualities in the sound department. My cheap Senn IEMs sound much fuller than these.
They do isolate extremely well, at the expense of strong head clamping and ear warmth.
Stay away from these. Frankly I'm astonished that these have 4 stars (as of this review) on a site dedicated to headphones. I suspect people want to believe their $80 were well spent.

Too many people first starting out in the $100 category for headphones choose the 280 as a starting point. Without directly A/B comparing the 280 pro against other headphones at this price point is you are going to leave yourself room for much improvement. The isolation is about all that is beneficial from this headphone. The durability is unanimously horrid and sound quality is hugely dependant upon how to fit your head and seal around your ears.
If you are looking at these for you first choice in "quality" headphones I would listen to the Audio Technica ATH-M50's before making your final decision. If you like In-Ear type headphones try the Brainwavz...